By Tom Avenengo

Volume # 81

11/17/2011

First:

This past Sunday, my daughter, Judy, and I made our annual trip to the
Lobitz party/auction/dinner down in Hazleton,
Pa.As usual, we had a very enjoyable day.One of those in attendance was noted author
Buzz Rose.Judy even won one of the
“whole table” drawings.At the end of
the sit-down dinner, around 6:30, it was announced that a little over $6,000.00
had been raised for the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing.

As we were leaving, I realized that we never went to the barn that’s
behind the catering hall – where all of the old (not restored yet) racecars
are.Damn!

King
of the Can Set For Sunday At Penn Can Speedway - "November to Remember"
for Southern Tier Race Fans; Prelude to $10,000 'Clash at the Can' of June 2012

The
event will serve as a prelude to the historic $10,000-to-win 'Clash at the Can'
to be run in June 2012: the highest-ever paying race in Penn Can Speedway's
history. The Deyo/Miller/Wilcox promotional team paid $8,000 in the June 2011
'Clash at the Can' and attracted a field of 66 Modifieds.Thanks to the outstanding support shown this
year, the winner's share has been boosted to $10,000 and the '12 60-lap main
event will pay $300 to take the green flag.

Thank you to the media outlets that can print this in their newspaper , all proceeds will benefit the non profit station
. The last trip Sold Out and we expect a big crowd for
this one as well once the word get out

My contact info is same as above

Erwin "Benzee" Benz

benzee95@hotmail.com

845 234 5323

Eighth:

At times, one cannot believe everything that one sees on the
Internet.Since this
past weekend, there have been things said about the purses at Hagerstown not be
fulfilled by the track.I see that in this weeks AARN – the November 15th issue, there
is a part that says that “Ernie Davis 'Salvages'
Hagerstown 350 Weekend”.Guess the
Internet was correct this time.

Yes, I wonder what it would have been like if only Jim
Clark or Dan Gurney actually took some laps in a Champ car back on August 17,
1963, when they visited the SpringfieldIllinois one-mile dirt track for
the Champ car race.I guess one could
say that it could very well have been back in that time when racing here in the
US
changed some, especially with the Indy car drivers not running anything else but
Indy cars.I still think that their only
competing in Indycar races today, and not running Midgets or Sprint Cars has
helped lead to the low attendance that we see today.Back in the day, they’d think nothing of
running a Midget or Sprint Car when the Champ cars raced close by.I’ve had this video in my computer for some
time now, and it was just sent out again, via e-mail today, by another “race
fan”.

They
want your input as to the possibility of adding an IndyCar race on the infield
road course at Indianapolis.

Quoting
some of the postings:

"It
sounds like they are having difficulty scraping enough tracks together for a
season. By the time you cross off the unsafe and unprofitable ones, the list
starts looking thin.

What
if they could only get 100,000 paying customers? Would that be profitable? If
so, do it. Running at IMS is nice and clean from a management perspective. And cheap for the teams. If the BY400 goes away, this would
be a way to keep some cash flow."

"I
am not a fan of the road course and not really a fan of the other races held at
the Speedway
but I understand it is business.

That
being said, I feel like it cheapens the 500 to run anything other than that 1
race. It used to open once a year and 33 drivers got a chance at immortality,
now Nascar drivers win there and say they won at
Indy."

"If that's all the survey is about they're throwing
their money away asking. For INDYCAR, short on ovals, to even be wondering
about financing another road course race on the schedule makes no sense. If
anything it dilutes the 500 to even intimate that an IMS rc
race would be worthwhile. The GrandAM race next year will be three hours on
Friday with a $30 ticket and there's no way I'm paying to see that. Been to
every Brickyard 400, tip of the cap to you narrow minded so called race fans,
and the increased price for the NNW race on Saturday will be enough of an added
expense for that weekend. Adding extra races to the Brickyard weekend is going
to backfire on IMS, it makes the weekend too expensive."

"That's
what they get for turning their backs on ovals. This series is on its last
legs."

Clauson renews scholarship with
USAC title

Bryan
Clauson will get another season as an INDYCAR racer.

The
USAC short-track standout clinched his second USAC National Drivers
Championship – and the scholarship to compete in Firestone Indy Lights – with a
sixth-place finish in the USAC Sprint Car race at Giant Chevrolet Kings
Speedway in Hanford, Calif.

“It was a busy year with a lot of ups and
downs, and to lock down and get the job done late in the year to put this thing
away was just awesome,” the 22-year-old native of Noblesville, Ind.,
said. “ I couldn't have done it without my great car
owners, Tony Stewart, Mike Curb, and Corey Tucker or all the great crew guys
that I get to work with.”

Clauson
will try to become the first driver since Billy Boat to win three-straight
Turkey Night Grand Prixs at Irwindale,
Calif., later this month, as well
as lock up his second consecutive USAC Midget title. He will officially receive
his $40,000 prize and his INDYCAR scholarship for winning the National Drivers
Championship at USAC’s“Night of Champions” Banquet on Dec. 9 in Indianapolis.

Until
then, he said he’ll work with INDYCAR officials to determine how best to
utilize the scholarship for 2012.

“I'm really excited about moving forward on
the Indy Car side of things,” he said. “We had already been hard at work trying
to put something together without the scholarship and had some great meetings,
so I feel like the scholarship will only help solidify whatever program we put
together.

“As
far as a direction for where I'll land for sure, I think it’s too early.
Obviously I have an idea of where I'd like to land, but there are a lot of
people involved in the scholarship program that we need to make sure we take
care of.When I get home from this west
coast swing after Turkey Night, you can be sure that I will be back hard at
work to put a solid program together whether it ends up being on the Lights
side or the IZOD IndyCar side.”

Note:I’m kind of wondering, what with the reported
lower amount of oval races in 2012, how that might effect Bryan.Looking at his results from 2011, I see he ended up 12th in
points while only racing on ovals, and running in only 6 of the 14 races.

Thirteenth:

NHMS Announces Plans for Museum. Fundraising
efforts underway.

In
part:

"Stock
cars, vintage open-wheel cars, dragsters and motorcycles all have a spot in the
history books when it comes to racing in the Northeast, and now, all of these
forms of motorsports will be featured in the new state-of-the-art Northeast Motorsports
Museum at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

The Racing History Preservation Group and “The Magic
Mile” announced the beginning of fund raising efforts to create a
20,000-square-foot motorsports museum on Rt. 106 in Loudon, N.H.
The announcement was made by Jerry Gappens, executive vice president and
general manager of the speedway, RHPG president Dick Berggren, New England fan favorite and former NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series driver Ricky Craven."

When I was checking out the results for OVRP’s
Novemberfest weekend of racing., I was rather
surprised that there were no 2 Cycles in competition.Methinks that might be a first for
Novemberfest.Why?I have no idea.To us, and we ran both 2 and 4 cycle, the 2
cycle was always less trouble.

Fifteenth:

While at the Lobitz function last Sunday, I had a chance
to talk with Lou Zrinski from the ARDC, after dinner.It really isn’t my place to come out with the
exact place, but I was told that the ARDC will be racing at a certain track 10
times in 2012.No, it isn’t the Accord
Speedway, but hopefully the ARDC will have at least one show at Accord.2011 was the first year since the end of WW
II that there was no full sized midget racing in New YorkState.Kinda sad, isn’t it?

Note:There are
some that think that the F-1 race in New
Jersey won’t come off.In a way, I guess I could be included in that
group.Already the Indycar race that was
held in Baltimore
is reportedly in trouble, so I’ve read..

Coming up:

The Parts Peddler Trade Show:

It will be held on November 18, 19 &
20, up in Syracuse.That’s this coming weekend, folks!

Turkey Derby XXXVIII is a two racing
tradition set for Friday November 25 and Saturday November 26 during the
daylight hours. On November 25, practice will start at 8:30 a.m., while
qualifying will start at noon and feature racing will begin at 2:00 p.m. On
November 26, practice will start at 8:30 a.m., with qualifying set for 11:00
a.m. and feature racing set for 1:00 p.m.

Pit gates will open at 6:30 a.m., with pre-purchased grandstand seating
opening at 9:30 a.m. and grandstand seating opening at 10:00 a.m. on both days.

Friday
main event action will feature the paved Sportsman cars, the dirt Sportsman
cars, Late Models, Legend Cars and the Factory Stocks. On Saturday, the Touring
Modifieds, Wall Modifieds, dirt Modifieds, TQ Midgets and Street Stocks will
all see main event action.

We will re-open for our annual Holiday Open
House the first
weekend of December; always lots of fun and food.That’s the 3rd and 4th.

Starting every Thursday during the winter from 6-9 pm,
Lynn Paxton and the gang will be holding weekly work parties.
We would love to have some volunteers step up and help arrange
cars and displays in the new wing. Without all the great volunteers
in this organization, EMMR doesn't exist.

So thanks to all of you !!!

Northeastern Vintage Dirt
Modified Racing Club

NVDMRC Club Banquet —
Sunday, December 4 at 1:00pm at MamakatingTownPark.

RSVP to Ed Stevens at 845-386-3484

Indoor Go-Kart racing in Syracuse:

Yup, almost that time again – December 10, 2011.Back when my grandson was racing Karts, we
made a few of those shows.The racing
was top notch; the building the track is in was both heated and
ventilated.The only downfall was the
possible weather conditions – you know – Syracuse,
N.Y. early December – Mother
Nature.However bad the weather was or
had been, they always got their racing in.

Info on this event can be found if you go here, below, and check out
the upper left hand corner for additional links.

Only one finish
guarantees Carl Edwards his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship a
victory in Sunday's season-finale Ford 400. Just three points separate points leader #99-Carl Edwards and second-place #14-Tony
Stewart, a margin so tight, no other finish would clinch the title for Edwards
regardless of where Stewart finishes. Stewart owns the tie-breaker (best
finishes), and therefore could tie and win his third series championship. All
other drivers are officially eliminated from championship contention. Edwards'
three-point lead roughly translates to 13 points under the previous points
system. That makes it the closest margin between first and second going into
the final race in Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup history, and third-closest
since the inception of the position-based points structure in 1975.(NASCAR)(11-14-2011)

NASCAR didn't see
Kenseth-Vickers wreck as retaliation:

NASCAR officials
didn't see Sunday's incident at Phoenix International Raceway between Brian
Vickers and Matt Kenseth as retaliation. Kenseth disagreed. "Had we felt
it was more than a racing incident we would have reacted,'' Sprint Cup Series
director John Darby said afterwards. Kenseth called NASCAR out for not responding
to Vickers wrecking him the way the governing body responded to Kyle Busch
deliberately running Ron Hornaday Jr. into the wall during the Truck Series
race last week at Texas Motor Speedway. "Obviously, it is retaliation for
retaliation, I guess,'' said Kenseth, whose championship hopes basically ended
three weeks ago when he and Vickers got into several on track exchanges at
Martinsville Speedway. "I was out of brakes and I was up on everybody and
I saw him coming and I lifted at least 10 car lengths before where I normally
would lift, and he drove in there at 165 miles per hour and cleaned us out.''
Kenseth reminded NASCAR that Vickers vowed payback after Martinsville. "If NASCAR is going to
start parking people for being mad 25 seconds after you wreck and wrecking
somebody, then you would park somebody for that,'' he said. "It was so
premeditated. It just surprises me that [NASCAR] didn't do anything. I am
disappointed, but I expected it.'' Vickers told reporters that he didn't
intentionally run over Kenseth, and that he was surprised when Kenseth lifted.
"If he wants to doubt us, that's fine,"
Vickers said. "He wrecked me at Martinsville,
he got wrecked here, but it actually wasn't (payback). I'm not saying I wasn't
going to pay him back, but I'm just saying that wasn't it."(ESPN)(11-14-2011)

Penske eyes Hornish
return to Cup:

Sam Hornish Jr.
could be back in a Sprint Cup car by 2013, team owner Roger Penske said Sunday.
"That would be the goal,'' Penske said of the three-time IndyCar Series
champion, who won his first NASCAR event on Saturday when he took the checkered
flag in the Nationwide Series race at Phoenix International Raceway. "That
kid is a heck of a driver." Penske admitted he made a mistake by rushing
Hornish from the IndyCar into the Cup series fulltime in 2008 with little
experience in NASCAR's lower series. Hornish drove only 11 Nationwide
races before his first Cup season and drove only nine during his three seasons
of Cup. During that stretch, Hornish had only two top 5s and eight top 10s in
Cup. He lost his ride after the 2010 season, but Hornish and Penske remained
committed to NASCAR by competing in a limited Nationwide
program this season. Penske said on Saturday and reiterated on Sunday that he
hopes to have Hornish compete for a title in the Nationwide Series in 2012 with
his ultimate goal to get him back in Cup the following year.(ESPN)(11-14-2011)

Changes are coming #88 team? new #42 crew
chief?

#88 crew chief
Steve Letarte says teams expect to reevaluate rosters after every season.
"I'd be really surprised if we had the same guys that we started this
season with," Letarte said Saturday. "You can never be good
enough." There could be more changes than usual at Hendrick Motorsports
after this season, particularly with the addition of Kasey Kahne and his
support staff, led by crew chief Kenny Francis. Kahne and Francis have scored
10 wins since getting together for the 2005 season finale at Homestead-Miami.
Francis is expected to bring along several of his existing crew men from Red
Bull Racing. The addition of the Kahne-Frances partnership will change the
nucleus of the #5 Chevy currently led by Lance McGrew. Chris Heroy, who was the
team engineer and led Dale Earnhardt Jr. to two top-five finishes as a crew
chief in the Nationwide Series this year, is rumored to be leaving Hendrick
Motorsports to be crew chief for Juan Pablo Montoya and the #42 crew.(FoxSports)(11-13-2011)

Kyle Busch offered
Hornaday a truck ride:

#29-Kevin Harvick
met with media at Phoenix International Raceway and discussed the Kyle Busch
situation among other things, the transcript in part:
Q) AS THE TEAM OWNER DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY KYLE BUSCH'S ACTIONS LAST WEEK AT
TEXAS, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW IT'S BEEN HANDLED FROM NASCAR'S STANDPOINT
AS WELL AS THE SPONSOR STANDPOINT?

Harvick:

"From a team
owner standpoint, it was expensive. I think as you look back at the whole
situation, the hardest part is that was the last time Ron Hornaday will race
for a championship? That's the part that bothers me the most. It's pretty
common that people know that I don't care for Kyle regardless of whether he is
in trouble or out of trouble, but that's the guy (Hornaday) I feel like has
taken the blunt of everything that happened last week. As far as the way it was
handled, it's not my situation. It's not something that I feel like I need to
weigh-in my opinion on, whether it was too much or not enough; it's just
unfortunate for Ron more than for anybody. And I think as you went through the
week, hearing the phone calls that were made to Ron from Kyle at the first part
of the week and trying to give him the #18 truck ride for next year and all the
things that he tried to do, he knew how wrong it was, hopefully."
Q) INAUDIBLE

Harvick:

"Yeah, as far
as I know, (team manager) Rick Wren called Ron and offered him the #18 truck
for next year. At first it started just with him calling Ron trying to get Ron
to call NASCAR so he wouldn't lose his job. That was how all that
progressed."(Team Chevy)(11-12-2011)

Aerodynamic testing
at Daytona:

NASCAR Sprint Cup
Series teams are scheduled to test at Daytona International Speedway in an
effort to evaluate and prepare aerodynamic baseline packages for the January
12-14, 2012 Preseason Thunder Test at DIS. Testing is scheduled for Tuesday,
Nov. 15th from 10 am - 5 pm/et. Teams scheduled to participate include:
Hendrick Motorsports (two cars with drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Aric
Almirola); Roush Fenway Racing (two cars with drivers David Ragan and Marcos
Ambrose); Joe Gibbs Racing (one car with driver Joey Logano), Michael Waltrip
Racing (one car with driver Martin Truex Jr.), and NEMCO Motorsports (one car
with driver Joe Nemechek). A section of the Oldfield Grandstands will be
open free to the public with access available through the lobby of the Daytona International
Speedway ticket office.(DIS)(11-11/15-2011)

UPDATE:

Seven NASCAR Sprint
Cup Series teams turned laps at the high banks of Daytona International
Speedway Tuesday, seeking the best baseline aerodynamic package for next January's
Preseason Thunder Test at "The World Center of Racing."
Teams participating in Tuesday's test included Hendrick Motorsports (Dale
Earnhardt Jr. and Aric Almirola); Roush Fenway Racing (David Ragan and Marcos
Ambrose); Joe Gibbs Racing (Joey Logano); Michael Waltrip Racing (Martin Truex
Jr.); and NEMCO Motorsports (Joe Nemechek).
After the track was dried following an early morning rain shower, teams first
got on the track at 11:45 a.m. The initial restrictor plate size was 29/32 inch
and the initial spoiler size was 4 ½ inches tall, 63 inches wide, which was the
same spoiler size for last July's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona. By
day's end, the size of the rear spoiler had been reduced to 3 inches tall by 62
inches wide. The smaller spoiler results in less down force and drag, but still
allows the cars to maintain high speeds and remain under control.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (#88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevy), a 13-time race
winner at Daytona, said Tuesday's test session was a "positive step in
finding a solution to the drafting style at Daytona."
"I did not anticipate finding a magical solution here today, but we will
be much better off and a lot smarter about things by having tested," said
Earnhardt. "This is just part of the work that needs to get done. There
are a lot of creative minds out here. We're learning what we need to know. I
think we're all in agreement that we probably won't totally rid ourselves of
the tandem racing, but I'm confident we can get to the point where it will not
be the norm."

Martin Truex Jr.
(#56 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota), a two-time NASCAR Nationwide Series champion and
solid restrictor plate racer, said there was a lot of mixing and matching going
on in the garage this afternoon. "We tried several different packages out
there today and what we're trying to do is put an end to this two-car draft, or
at least make it so we can only get together for a lap or two and have to
switch or run in a pack," said Truex. "NASCAR is being smart about
all of this and they are going through some steps to see if the changes that
we're making will result in what they think they will be."
John Darby, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director, said that Tuesday's test should
allow NASCAR the ability to formulate a solid baseline aerodynamic package that
teams can work on heading into next January's three-day test session at DIS,
Jan. 12-14. "One of our goals is to give the teams more options when it
comes to how they draft and we believe we're headed in the right direction on
that," said Darby. "We want to be able to reduce the difference in
the speeds between the tandem style of racing and more of the pack style of
racing and we made a lot of good progress on that here today."
Both Earnhardt and Truex agreed that the transition to Electronic Fuel
Injection in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is right on track. The sport's
premier series will implement EFI beginning at Daytona next season. "The
computer guys like what they've seen so far with the EFI test and I'll tell you
what, when I've tested the EFI car, it drives as well or better than the
carburetor cars," said Earnhardt. "To be honest with you, if you
didn't know it when you got into the car, you couldn't tell a difference,"
said Truex. "The only thing that's different is the way it starts. You
don't have to pump the gas like a normal carburetor. You just flip the switch
and crank it up like a street car."(NASCAR)(11-15-2011)

Logano: "We learned that when you take a spoiler out of a race car at
Daytona it makes the car go faster. We were going 206 or 207 or so. We've been
doing that, taking the rear spring out of the car and just taking downforce
away from these things. Trying to get away from that two-car
draft. We're slowly getting away from the two-car draft, making it
harder to do it. I guess we've made gains today because that's what NASCAR is
looking for."

Q) Have you noticed a difference with the new electronic fuel injection in the
race car?

Logano: "No, we can't really tell much at all, but that's a good thing.(Toyota Racing)(11-16-2011)

Nemechek runs
203mph at Daytona test....alone:

#87-Joe Nemechek, a
driver/car owner, reached 203 mph without a drafting partner during Tuesday's
test session at Daytona International Speedway. The day was supposed to belong
to NASCAR as it tested various setups in an effort to break up the two-car
tandem draft. But instead, Nemechek was the talk of the garage and what it
might mean for qualifying if Tuesday's changes are implemented for the Feb. 26
Daytona 500. "We were changing the restrictor plates and all kinds of
stuff," Nemechek said. "I mean, (the speed is) just the product of
putting more horsepower to the back tires. I think we're going to be quite a
bit faster when we come back here for qualifying day. It's going to be
interesting. All the teams are going to have to do some more homework."
Nemechek was testing with Triad Engine Development, a North Carolina-based
company. "We were using a 1 1/16-inch plate and a 3-inch radius
spoiler," Triad Racing Development head engine builder Jon Dysinger said.
"This was better than we expected."(Daytona
Beach News Journal)(11-16-2011)

Former car owner
Bernstein retires from racing:

Six-time NHRA
champion Kenny Bernstein has turned the final page and closed the book on his
career as a competitor and NHRA racing team owner. "My wife Sheryl and I
have come to a place in our lives where we want to pursue other
interests," said Bernstein. "We have poured our hearts and souls in
motorsports for over 30 years and that's a full time job. It consumes you and
there is very little time to relax. We are very proud of our accomplishments
through the years and it's been a great ride, but we're interested in being
able to travel at will, we want to spend some time on the golf course, and
we've recently taken up fly fishing, which we really enjoy. It's time to enjoy
life while we still have our health." Team owner and six-time NHRA
champion Kenny Bernstein is a gifted driver and businessman. He holds the
unique distinction of being the first and only race team owner to have
collected wins in each of America's
three major motorsports series: NHRA drag racing, NASCAR, and CART (IndyCar).
He earned the title "King of Speed" when he became the first NHRA
driver to break the 300 miles-per-hour barrier March 20, 1992 in Gainesville, FL.
As a team owner he has accumulated 18 Top Fuel victories with son Brandon at
the wheel.(Kenny Bernstein site),
Bernstein's Sprint Cup team won three races, 2 with Ricky Rudd and one with
Brett Bodine, the team finished 8th in points in 1989. See more stats at Racing-Refernece.info.(11-16-2011)

Johnson's comments
on being out of the championship hunt:

Q) YOU HAVE BEEN MATHEMATICALLY ELIMINATED FROM THE DRIVER'S
CHAMPIONSHIP, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT YOU ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR?

Jimmie Johnson: "Yeah, I'm definitely disappointed that we won't be able
to go to Homestead
and race for our sixth (consecutive driver's championship) but that's
motorsports. It's a very tough business. What we did over the last five years
was absolutely spectacular and I've just got to thank Lowe's. I've got to thank
Hendrick Motorsports, Chad Knaus (crew chief), and this
whole race team for giving me everything they've had these 10 years. Even
though we're not in position to win the championship now, we're going to go to Homestead and try to have
our best race down there that we can and finish as high as we can in the
points." (Team Lowe's Racing)(11-16-2011)

Note:Kind of ironic that he thanks Hendrick
Motorsports and Chad Knaus, but not the one that’s listed as his car owner for
every race – Jeff Gordon.

Red Bull Racing
still looking for investor / buyer:

Red Bull Racing
announced in June that it would sell the team [#4-Kahne, #83-Vickers] by the
end of the year or shut it down. While there have been inquiries, no deal has
been announced. Red Bull Racing has notified the state of North Carolina of potential layoffs, but
employees say they have been told there will be no layoffs before Dec. 9. A few
members of Kahne's crew will go with him and crew chief Kenny Francis to [#5
Chevy] Hendrick Motorsports next year, but many in the Red Bull shop will be looking
for work after the season while hoping that if the team does get bought, they
could return. Jay Frye, who runs the team, has been answering calls from
potential investors and would like to keep the team going. It doesn't appear
that Vickers is in the future plans as he seeks a full-time ride for 2012.(SceneDaily)(11-15-2011)

Marlin interested
in Fairgrounds Speedway:

Retired NASCAR
driver Sterling Marlin is interested in acquiring the lease to Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway, after
fellow driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. gave up after one frustrating season. Hamilton will not
continue to operate the track next season, according to Buck Dozier, head of
the Metro Fair Board that oversees the city-owned facility. Hamilton encountered numerous problems during
the season and cancelled the scheduled season-finale All-American 400 a
fixture for over two decades and the track's premier event. Hamilton
will continue to own and operate Highland Rim Speedway, a quarter-mile track
located 20 miles north of Nashville.
One year remains on the two-year Fairgrounds Speedway lease granted by the city
and Marlin heads a group of investors that is interested in acquiring it.
Marlin told local radio show host Terrell Davis that he would like to take over
the track "if everything can be worked out." Marlin has assisted
previous efforts to keep the track afloat, working with last year's operator,
Tony Formosa Jr., to promote the track. Marlin won three championships at the
track in the 1980's, following in the footsteps of his famous father, Coo Coo,
a four-time champion in the 1960's. The Fair Board expects to make a decision
about the track's new operator by the end of the year.(RacinToday)(11-15-2011)

Note: 2:Yes, most of this info is mostly from Open
Wheel racing from “Back in the day”.

Covering the days from
November 18th to the 24th:

NOVEMBER 18

1941

Gary Bettenhausen ... Born
... His father was Indianapolis 500 and sprint car legend Tony Bettenhausen,
and his brother was former Champ Car team owner Tony Bettenhausen Jr. Another
brother, Merle Bettenhausen, lost his arm in a fiery crash. Gary began as a midget car driver. He
finished third in the midget car national points in 1967. He won the first leg
of the Astro Grand Prix in 1969, which was held in the Astrodome. He won the
1967 and 1970 Turkey Night Grand Prix, the 1972 Astro Grand Prix, and the 1976
Hut Hundred. He has 27 career USAC midget wins. He won the 1969 and 1971 sprint
car championships. He won the 1980 and 1983 USAC Dirt Track champions in Silver
Crown car. He competed in Indy cars from the mid-'1960s until 1996.During this
time he won six USAC Indy Car races. Gary
made 21 starts in the Indy '500, contesting each event from 1968 until 1982
(with the exception of 1979 when he failed to qualify), and again from 1986 to
1993. His best finish came in 1980 when he finished third after starting 32nd
in the 33-car field. He competed in eight career NASCAR Winston Cup events. He
had four Top 10 finishes. His highest career finish was a fourth place finish
at the 1974 Motor State 360 at the Michigan International Speedway in 1974. He
was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993 and was a 1998
inductee in the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

2008

Chuck Amati ... Died ...
Chuck Amati was an 'Outlaw' long before the inaugural 1978 World of Outlaws
season. For over 40 years he raced from coast-to-coast chasing wins, and when
he took his helmet off for the final time in 2002, he had accumulated hundreds
of them in his career in a number of different types of race cars. Amati will
always be remember as "The One Armed Bandit," a nickname he earned on
a night, when he sustained an injury to his right arm and devised a harness to
hold the arm in place in his lap, driving using his left arm. The arm would
eventually heal, though the nickname stuck with him for the rest of his career
and contributed to him being one of the most colorful drivers to ever climb
into a sprint car. He won a in a variety of machines during his legendary
career including: winged sprint cars, non-winged sprint cars, supermodifieds
and even midgets. From 1969-1986, he won at least one sprint car race every
year during that span.

NOVEMBER 19

1925

Eddie Russo ... Born ... A
retired American racecar driver. Russo won the midget car racing track
championship RacewayPark in Chicago
in 1950. Russo raced in the AAA and USAC Championship Car series in the
1952-1957 and 1960 seasons, with 21 career starts, including 3 times in the Indianapolis 500. He
finished in the top ten 5 times, with his best finish in 1955 at Langhorne. His
father, Joe Russo, and his uncle, Paul Russo, also raced in the Indianapolis 500.

1954

Spike Gehlhausen ... Born
... A former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car series. He raced in
11 seasons (1975-1982 and 1984-1986), with 79 combined career starts, including
the Indianapolis
500 in 1976, 1978-1980, and 1984. He finished in the top ten 15 times with his
best finish in 4th position in 1980 at Ontario.

1961

Al Keller... Died ...
Keller participated in the NASCAR "Strictly Stock"/"Grand
National" (predecessors to the current NEXTEL Cup) series from 1949 to
1956 with 29 career starts. He won two races during the 1954 season and is the
only driver in the history of NASCAR's top division to have won a race in a
foreign-built car, winning the 1954 Grand National road-race at the LindenAirport
in New Jersey,
driving a Jaguar. In 1954 Keller began a transition to champ cars. He drove in
the AAA and USAC Championship Car series, racing in the 1954-1959 and 1961
seasons with 32 starts, including the Indianapolis
500 races in all but the first of those years. He finished in the top ten 13
times, with his best finish in 2nd position, in 1956 at Atlanta
and in 1961 at Milwaukee.
His best Indy finish was 5th in 1961. Keller died as a result of injuries
sustained in a champ car crash at the Arizona State Fairgrounds track.

Note:At the end of this column, when read on the
New England Tractor website, I'm hoping that a headshot photo of Al Keller
works.

Bruce Craig... Died ... He
was a self-employed auto racing photographer, videographer, and historian who
was well known throughout the United
States. His photography collections on auto
racing, numbering some 86,000 negatives, could be compared to those of Mathew
Brady on the Civil War. In addition to taking photos he was very adept at
acquiring outstanding collections. He was a member of the National Sprint Car
Hall of Fame and Museum in Knoxville,
Iowa, and of the Williams Grove
Oldtimers; an organization dedicated to preserving auto racing. He was a
longtime and active member of the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing in Dillsburg, Pa.
He was a member of numerous historic racing organizations.

NOVEMBER 20

1965

Jimmy Vasser ... Born ...
An American racing driver and race team owner. Vasser won the 1996 Champ Car
champion with Chip Ganassi Racing, and scored ten victories in the series.
Vasser was the last American to win the Champ Car championship.

NOVEMBER 21

1996

Elmo Langley... Died... Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Virginia and Maryland
in 1952. Langley
came in to NASCAR as a Driver/Owner in 1954. In 1966 in partnered with Henry
Woodfield and created Langley-Woodfield Racing. That same year Langley won the only two races of his long
career. After the second race of the 1969 season, Langley
and Woodfield split and Langley
continued to run team on his own returning to the driver/owner role. He
finished in the Top-10 in season points from 1967 until his final full season
as a driver for Langley Racing in 1975 (except 1974). He continued to drive in
a few select races until 1981 when he hung up the helmet for good. Langley shut down his
team after the 1987 season.

NOVEMBER 22

1893

Ira Vail... Born ... AAA
driver from 1915 to 1928

1947

David "Salt"
Walther ... Born ... A former driver in the USAC and CART Championship Car
series. He also drove NASCAR stock cars, unlimited hydroplane boats, and was a
car owner in USAC. He is the son of George Walther, owner of Dayton Steel
Foundry, who fielded Indy 500 cars for Juan Manuel Fangio in 1958 and Mike
Magill in 1959. His brother, George "Skipp" Walther III, was fatally
injured while trying to qualify as an Unlimited driver
at Miami, Florida,
in 1974. David Walther was given the nickname "Salt" during his teen
years while racing boats, and is one of only eight (8) unlimited hydroplane
drivers to qualify for the Indy 500. Walther raced in the 1970-1981 seasons,
with 64 combined career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 from 1972 to 1976, and 1978
to 1979. He finished in the top ten 16 times, with a best finish, four times,
of 7th position.

1961

Our first child, a girl,
Judith Ann Avenengo, now with the last name of Kehlenbeck, was born at the WilliamBeaumontArmyHospital
in El Paso, Texas.

1970

Ronnie Sox becomes the
first person to run 140 mph at the end of the 1/4-mile in an NHRA Pro Stock car
when he runs 140.18 mph at Ontario,
California.

1990

Stan Fox won the last race
ever held at the legendary Ascot,
California, dirt track.

As
far as there being dirt put down on the Wall Stadium track – ain’t gonna
happen, per Cliff Krause, the Wall promoter.

What
do Scott Bloomquist, Josh Richards and Chub Frank all have in common other than
Late Model racers?All three use
Roush/Yates engines in their Late Models.None can really explain why, but their cars drivability and handling
seem to improve with those engines.

Oh
– as for the URC going wingless – could very well happen, but only on tracks
that are not big and fast – as of now, anyway.I made mention of that on the ARDC’s message board and one poster came
back with:“I
think we should start ARDC wingless sprints. Now that would be awesome.”Hey, ya never know!

When they had “Triple 15’s” for the Tobias SpeedSTR
cars at New Egypt a couple of weeks ago, they had at least 16 cars in
action.Yannick Poirier is the SpeedSTR
National Champion for 2011.

Note:Personally, I’m a little disappointed that only 16 cars showed up.I imagine the economy is one of the larger
culprits for the low car count?

There will be a Charlie Bray Memorial Race at the
Bridgeport Speedway on November 19th – this Saturday.

The ISMA had their banquet.Only mention of any monies was the $500.00
for the “Slice N Go Deli Mechanic of the year” award to Rich Witkum, Jr.

Note:In an
e-mail I received from DIRTcar, it says that Matt Sheppard got $36,650.00 for
being the DIRTcar Modified champion.

ARCA will have a race at the New JerseyMotorSportsPark
road course on July 1, 2012.Other races
that will be held there are a Grand Am Road Racing Rolex Sports Car Series and
Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge on May 11th-13th.AMA Bikes on September 7th – 9th.

Pocono has a “Turkey Ticket Promotion” – 15% discount
on tickets.$42.50 for the Concourse
Vista and $63.75 for the Terrace, for their NASCAR races on June 10th
and August 5th.There is a
limited supply, and the offer ends on Wednesday,November 30th.More info can be had by going to:www.poconoraceway.com/turkey.html
or by calling 1-800-722-3939.Mention
the Promotional Code “Turkey”.

There will be a Race Car & Parts Swap Meet at
the New Egypt Speedway on December 3rd.$15.00 to sell.Call Earl at 732-681-3776 or e-mail to:cdr@optonline.net.

Bethel Motor Speedway will be having their Banquet
on December 10th at the Lodge at Rock Hill.Trophies for the top 10 in each class and championship jackets for point
champions will be given out.There will
be a Buffet Dinner and cash bar.Tickets
are $40.00 per.They must be purchased in
advance by November 26th.Tickets can be purchased using Pay Pal or by mailing a check to the
Speedway Office.The Lodge at Rock Hill will be
offering a discounted room rate of $99.00/night for reserved rooms.Call 845-796-3100.More info can be seen at:www.bethelmotorspeedway.com

The November 15th edition of the AARN is
their annual Race Car Builders Guide.Added copies will be published, and papers will be handed out this
weekend at the Parts Peddler Show.

Ernie Saxton:

Thinks it would be nice if Gibbs were to put
Hornaday in Kyle Busch’s Nationwide car for the last
two races.He, along with some others
are questioning if “Boys have at it” has gone too far.Jimmie Johnson was featured on the cover of
Sports Illustrated back on October 17th.Has the “SI cover jinx” come true,
again?Jimmie hasn’t done all that good
since then.Motor Sports writer Monte
Dutton has been having some health issues and he’s had to cut back some on his
writing.Ernie, like a few others in the
AARN was commenting on the Jason Sides WoO lawsuit.

Earl Krause:

Earl had quite a bit in his column about Al
Tasnady.He also made mention of the
passing of Nancy Shea, 65, on November 2nd.She was the wife of the Garden State Vintage
Stock Car Club President, Ray Shea.

Brett Deyo:

Tells us that Pete Britten
has gone back to Australia
to compete in some Mod races.Pete expects to be back in time for the races
in Florida in
February.Mike Payne had engine problems
in the car that Danny Johnson drove at the World Finals.They took out their normal Big Block and put
in the Spec 500 cu in engine, which also had a problem, so they ended up with
their normal engine in the car.Billy
Pauch had engine problems with the Petruska # 66.

Todd Heintzelman:

Made mention of the Jason
Sides WoO lawsuit.At the World Finals, there were two females
in competition in the Sprint Car portion – two named Jessica – Zemken and
Anderson.Aaron Ott, who suffered a
broken neck back on 9/4 at Williams Grove, when the side piece on his wing
broke, is hoping to make the last two Sprint Car races this season.

Randy Kane:

Randy had quit ea bit in his column about OCFS racer
John Lieto and Open Wheel racer Steve Buckwalter, along with a little about
Sportsman racer Cody Bleau.Cody is
looking for a Sportsman ride for A/S.Buckwalter is currently in Australia racing Midgets and Sprint
Cars.He’ll be an entrant in the
up-coming Chili Bowl.He’d like to see
if he could pick up a ride in a Pa 358 Modified, too.Lieto will more than likely stay at OCFS and
drive the Big Block powered modified owned by Ken Hermance.

Gary London:

More about the Kyle Busch
thing.Kind
of disturbing news that Michael Waltrip will still be able to use the number
“00” on his Cup car – a number that’s been in the Reutimann family since the
1950’s.He thinks New Egypt is doing the
right thing with the new 358 Modified rules.More and more teams are getting out of racing today because the cost
isn’t covered by what one can win/earn.Bobby Santos, III one of the better prospects to have come along lately
– what does his future hold?

Note:To
advance today, if you are not a family member (Childress) and/or really know
someone, or have some big bucks, you ain’t gonna get very far just on your
talent.

Toby LaGrange:

Most of his column was about A/S and Howie
Commander.He says it wasn’t the fact
that A/S was paved that led to it’s downfall but was because of track
management and lack there of.He’s
concerned about how A/s coming back as a dirt track and running on Friday
nights will affect GlenRidge.

Dave Moody:

Believes that it was Aaron’s
CEO Ken Butler that had a lot to do with David Reutimann being let go from the
00 Cup ride.He also had about 2/3 of a page dealing with
Kyle Busch.

Don and JoAnn Davies:

I’d say they had over two full pages about the World
Finals races.They made mention that the
gates opened at 4:00 PM on Wednesday to get into the pit area.Brett Hearn was there on Monday.On Thursday there were 31 Modifieds, 55
Sprint Cars, 66 Late Models and 21 NDRA Modifieds for qualifying.Charlie Langestein had double knee
surgery.He’s gone from a wheel chair to
crutches to now walking very slowly.Track officials at Charlotte
spoke with each group of drivers telling them that while they were racing they
should make sure their rigs were locked up and to make sure their valuables
were secured.“Victory Lane” was on the track, in front
of the grandstands.For the racing on
Saturday, there were 28 Modifieds, 54 Sprint Cars and 64 Late Models.

Note:Yes,
it’s a shame when things get stolen out of rigs and trailers when one is
racing.Maybe it’s more common than we
think?As for “Victory Lane” being on the track in front
of the grandstands – hey, I’m all for that – especially when races are
televised.With today’s technology and
cameras, it really isn’t necessary to bury “Victory Lane” in the middle of the
infield where the PAYING fans can’t see it.

John Snyder:

John, living over by Connecticut, was pretty much affected by the
freak snowstorm that hit the area.His
cable came on after his electricity, so for his “racing fix” he watched “Fever
Heat”.He checked out a Langhorne
Speedway program from June 15, 1969 – a USAC 150 Mile Champ Car race.At that time, Don Branson held the track record
for Champ cars at 31.580 seconds and for Sprint Cars at 32.661 seconds.Johnny Mackinson held the “Modified” record
at 35.796 and Joe Leonard the NASCAR “Cup” record at 36.214.The track was paved in 1965, and closed in
1971.In 1968, Mario Andretti and Gordon
Johncock timed in at 28.109, Dutch Hoag at 31.765 for “Mods” and Bobby Isaac at
32.540 for “Cup”.Back in 1969 Hot dogs
sold for .35, Hamburgers for .45, large Pepsi .30, coffee .15, cigars .15 and
cigarettes .45.Those prices included
the 6% tax, too.

Herb Anastor:

His column dealt mostly with the 200 Mile Champ Car race
that was held at Milwaukee
on August 22, 1965 on the then paved on –mile track.The day previous, there was a 100-mile race
on the one-mile dirt track in Springfield,
Illinois – a race AJ Foyt
won.Due to problems on the highway, the
Rear Engined car for AJ Foyt was going to be late at Milwaukee, and not get there in time for
qualifying.That problem got solved by
taking the dirt Champ car out of the trailer, washing the dirt and mud off of
it, changing some shocks and putting wider “slick” tires on the car.AJ went out and put the car on the pole.Chances are he might have won that race if he
didn’t have to pit for fuel.He ended up
second.Some of those in rear engined
Ford powered Indy cars that day were Dan Gurney, Mario Andretti and Parnelli
Jones.

In AARN this Week’s issue of November 15th:

Ernie Davis
'Salvages' Hagerstown 350 Weekend

Josh Richards Rockets To Victory

Tyler Haydt Has MahoningValley Poker Face

Cody Darrah's
Missing Money

Favorable November Weekend
For Short Tracks

Former Oakland Valley Speedway
(Dirt Oval) runners:

In last weeks column, I missed Nick Pecko being 21st in
the North-South Shoot Out at Caraway Speedway in asphalt modifieds.

At Penn Can last
weekend, Danny Creeden was 10th in the Modified race while Mike
Ruggiero was a DNQ.Kyle Rohner won the
Sportsman feature with Anthony Perrego 2nd, Tyler Dippel 8th
and Tyler Boniface 20th.

Here’s hoping I
didn’t miss anyone.Not much racing
going on now, so chances are this little section will be missing for a while.

More
racin’ stuff:

Still
more from the Track Forum:

DW12
Issues at IMS...Problem or Not? (This is about the new car - the Dan Wheldon 12
Indycar).

Some
of what's being said:

"We've
all heard the stories about the DW12's teething issues and that it isn't
performing at IMS like Dallara had modeled. It snaps loose, can't get the speed
up, etc...

So
here's my question...assuming that the car isn't ridiculously horrible and
objectively impossible to engineer to a reasonable base level...is this lack of
performance maybe a good thing in some ways?

Let's
say next year the pole speed is something like 215 or 216. Wouldn't that add
some intrigue over the next few years as aero kits come out and as teams try to
engineer solutions to the car's issues? Maybe the pole speed goes from 215 in
2012 to 225 in 2015...to me, that adds interest from a
technical perspective. Which teams found answers? Which aero kits are making
the car work best? Blah blah blah."

"Being
slower than "modeled" is not a problem.

But
the current state of the sport has a heavy emphasis on driver safety, so while
a car that "snaps loose" is a good thing to separate the good racers
from their grandmothers, it has the potential to be a very big problem if it's
likely to result in a lot of seriously injured drivers."

"It's
incredibly unlikely that the problem won't be fixed before May."

"Exactly.

I
think the issue is that the simulator's are getting
things wrong which is affecting the quality of the car on track. It's not
really the car itself but the simulators not matching the real life
expectations. Once they figure this out I can't see a reason why the DW12 can't
at least match the speeds of the last generation Dallara."

"That's
what I was thinking too.

I
thought all the hawks around here were clamoring for a car that's less
"stuck" and "harder to drive" and "requires the
drivers to lift".

Meet Maine 's New Governor --- In case you haven't heard about this
guy before, his name will stick in your mind!

The new Maine Governor,
Paul LePage is making New Jersey 's
Chris Christie look like an enabler. He isn't afraid to say what he thinks.
Judging by the comments, every time he opens his mouth, his popularity goes up.

He brought down the house
at his inauguration when he shook his fist toward the media box and said,
"You're on notice! I've inherited a financially troubled State to run.
Observe...cover what we do...but don't whine if I don't waste time responding
to your every whim just for your amusement."

During his campaign for
Governor, he was talking to commercial fishermen who are struggling because of
federal fisheries rules. They complained that 0bama brought his family to Bar
Harbor and AcadiaNational Park for a long
Labor Day holiday and found time to meet with union leaders, but wouldn't talk
to the fishermen. LePage replied, "I'd tell him to go to hell and get out
of my State." The Lame Stream Media crucified LePage, but he jumped 6
points in the pre-election poll.

The Martin Luther King
incident was a political sandbag, which brought him National exposure. The
'lame stream' media crucified him, but word on the street is very positive. The
NAACP specifically asked LePage to spend MLK Day visiting black inmates at the
Maine State Prison. He told them that he would meet with ALL inmates,
regardless of race, if he were to visit the prison. The NAACP balked and then
put out a news release claiming falsely that he refused to participate in any
MLK events. He read it in the paper for the 1st time the next morning while
being driven to an event and went ballistic because none of the reporters had
called him for comment before running the NAACP release.

He arrived at that event
& said in front of a TV camera, "If they want to play the race card on
me they can kiss my ass", and he reminded them that he has an adopted
black son from Jamaica and that he attended the local MLK Breakfast every year
that he was mayor of Waterville. (He started his morning there on MLK Day.)

He then stated that there's
a right way and a wrong way to meet with the Governor, and he put all special
interests on notice that press releases, media leaks, and all demonstrations
would prove to be the wrong way. He said any other group, which acted like the
NAACP could expect to be at the bottom of the Governor's priority list!

He then did the following,
and judging from local radio talk show callers, his popularity increased even
more: The State employees union complained because he waited until 3 P.M.
before closing State offices and facilities and sending non-emergency personnel
home during the last blizzard. The prior Governor would often close offices for
the day with just a forecast before the first flakes. (Each time the State
closes for snow, it costs the taxpayers about $1 million in wages for no work
in return.)

LePage was CEO of the
Marden's chain of discount family bargain retail stores before election as governor.
He noted that State employees getting off work early could still find lots of
retail stores open to shop. So, he put the State employees on notice by
announcing: "If Marden's is open, Maine
is open!"

He told State employees:
"We live in Maine
in the winter, for heaven's sake, and should know how to drive in it.
Otherwise, apply for a State job in Florida!"

Governor LePage symbolizes
what America
needs; Refreshing politicians who aren't self-serving and who exhibit common
sense.

THE LAW IS THE LAW!

I really love this one.

This is one of the better
e-mails I have received in a long time! I hope this makes its way around the USA several
times over!!!!!

So, Be It!

THE LAW IS THE LAW So
"if" the US
government determines that it is against the law for the words "under
God" to be on our money, then, so be it.

And "if" that
same government decides that the "Ten Commandments" are not to be
used in or on a government installation, then, so be it.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to be a law abiding US citizen.

I say, "so be it," because I would like to think that smarter
people than I are in positions to make good decisions.

I would like to think that
those people have the American public's best interests at heart.

BUT, YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE I'D
LIKE?

Since we can't pray to God,
can't Trust in God and cannot post His Commandments in Government buildings, I
don't believe the Government (Federal, State and Local) and its employees
should participate in the Easter and Christmas celebrations which honor the God
that our government is eliminating from many facets of American life.

I'd like my mail delivered
on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving & Easter.
After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the" US
Supreme Court to be in session on Christmas, Good Friday, Thanksgiving &
Easter as well as Sundays." After all, it's just another day.

I'd like the Senate and the
House of Representatives to not have to worry about getting home for the
"Christmas Break." After all it's just another day.

I'm thinking that a lot of
my taxpayer dollars could be saved, if all government offices & services
would work on Christmas, Good Friday & Easter. It shouldn't cost any
overtime since those would be just like any other day of the week to a government
that is trying to be "politically correct."

In
fact....

I think that our government
should work on Sundays (initially set aside for worshipping God....) because,
after all, our government says that it should be just another day....

What do you all think????

If this idea gets to enough
people, maybe our elected officials will stop giving in to the "minority
opinions" and begin, once again, to represent the "majority" of
ALL of the American people.

These are definitely things
I never thought about but from now on, I will be sure to question those in
government who support these changes.

At the top, it says,
"I hope this makes its way around the USA several times over!!!!!"
Let's see that it does

IF YOU GOOGLE THE NAME PAUL
LEPAGE THERE IS A VIDEO SHOWING THE NAACP INCIDENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is
this true?:

Remember
this, from last week?

Some
non-racing stuff part 3:

Fannie
Mae loss widens, asks taxpayers for $7.8B

In
part:

"Mortgage
giant Fannie Mae is asking the federal government for $7.8 billion in aid to
cover its losses in the July-September quarter."

Well,
how about this?

Fannie,
Freddie executives score $100M payday post bailout

In
part:

"Mortgage
finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac received the biggest federal bailout
of the financial crisis. And nearly $100 million of those tax dollars went to
lucrative pay packages for top executives, filings show.

The
top five executives at Fannie Mae received $33.3 million in 2009 and 2010,
while the top five at Freddie Mac received $28.1 million. And each company has
set pay targets of as much as $17 million for its top managers for 2011.

That's
a total of $95.4 million, which will essentially be coming from taxpayers, who
have been keeping the mortgage finance giants alive with regular quarterly cash
infusions since the Federal Home Finance Agency (FHFA) took control of the
companies in September 2008.

Fannie
CEO Michael Williams and Freddie CEO Charles Halderman, each received about
$5.5 million in pay for last year, and they could receive more when their final
deferred compensation for 2010 is set. All the executives receive a significant
portion of their pay in the year or years after they earn it."

"The
CEOs' pay targets for 2011 are about $6 million a piece, though Halderman might
not get much of that money since he's announced plans to leave Freddie sometime
in 2012. He must still be at the company in order to receive the deferred
compensation. His base pay for 2011 is $900,000, with most of the rest of his
compensation coming in deferred payments.

The
salary filings were all made by the companies in early 2011, but received
relatively little attention until a recent report by Politico, the political
news Web site, which highlighted about $12.8 million in bonuses the executives
received for last year.

That
published report sparked a political firestorm on Capitol Hill that could lead
to legislation to put strict limits on pay at the two firms. But it only told
part of the story. The full extent of salary, deferred pay and bonuses are only
found in the filings."

As you may know, Cruz
Construction started a division in North
Dakota just 6 months ago. They sent every Kenworth (9
trucks) we had here in Alaska to North Dakota and several
drivers. They just bought two new Kenworth's to add to that fleet; one being a Tri Drive tractor
and a new 65 ton lowboy to go with it. They also bought two new cranes (one
crawler & one rubber tired) for that division.

Dave Cruz said they have
moved more rigs in the last 6 months in ND than Cruz Construction moved in Alaska in the last 6
years. Williston is like a gold rush town; they moved one of our 40 man camps
down there since there are no rooms available. Unemployment in ND is the lowest
in the nation at 3.4 percent last I checked. See anything in the national news
about how the oil industry is fueling North
Dakota's economy? Here's an astonishing read.
Important and verifiable information: About 6 months ago, the writer was
watching a news program on oil and one of the Forbes Bros. was the guest. The
host said to Forbes, "I am going to ask you a direct question and I would
like a direct answer; how much oil does the U.S. have in the ground?"
Forbes did not miss a beat, he said, "more than all the Middle
East put together." The U. S. Geological Service issued a
report

in April 2008 that only scientists and oil men knew was
coming, but man was it big. It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since
1995) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota,
western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana. Check THIS out: The Bakken is
the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska's
Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to
eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information
Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of
the oil is recoverable (5 billion barrels), at $107 a barrel, we're looking at
a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion. "When I first briefed
legislators on this, you could practically see their jaws hit the floor. They
had no idea." says Terry Johnson, the Montana Legislature's financial
analyst. "This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field
found in the past 56 years," reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a
formation known as the WillistonBasin, but is more
commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' It stretches from Northern Montana,
through North Dakota and into Canada. For
years, U S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil'
companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago. However, a recent
technological breakthrough has opened

up the Bakken's massive reserves, and we now have access
of up to 500 billion barrels. And because this is light, sweet oil, those
billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!!!!!! That's enough
crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight. And if THAT
didn't throw you on the floor, then this next one should - because it's from
2006!!!!!!

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath
the surface of the Rocky Mountainslies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is
more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its
extraction. In three and a half years of high oil prices none has been
extracted. With this motherload of oil why are we still fighting over off-shore
drilling? They reported this stunning news: We have more oil inside our
borders, than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official
estimates: 8 times as much oil as Saudi Arabia , 18 times as much oil as Iraq ,
21 times as much oil as Kuwait , 22 times as much oil as Iran, 500 times as
much oil as Yemenand it's all right here in the Western United States!!!!!! HOW
can this BE? HOW can we NOT BE extracting this? Because the environmentalists
and others have blocked all efforts to help Americabecome
independent of foreign oil! Again, we are letting a small group of people
dictate our lives and our economy. WHY? James Bartis, lead researcher with the
study says we've got more oil in this very compact area than the entire Middle East, more than 2 TRILLION barrels untapped.That's
more than all the proven oil

reserves of crude oil in the world today, reports The Denver
Post .Don't think 'OPEC' will drop its price even with this find? Think again!
It's all about the competitive marketplace, it has to. Think OPEC just might be
funding the environmentalists? Got your attention yet? Now, while you're
thinking about it, do this: Pass this along. If you don't take a little time to
do this, then you should stifle yourself the next time you complain about gas
prices, by doing NOTHING, you forfeit your right to complain. Now I just wonder
what would happen in this country if every one of you sent this to everyone in
your address book. By the way, this can be verified. Check it out at the link
below! http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

Note:It was a while back when I made mention of
the “Bakken” in a couple of my columns.The first was similar to the above, while the second was that this was
mentioned on NBC’s News with Brian Williams and how they were looking for help
and how there wasn’t enough housing to take care of all the people that were
going there to work.Now, it would seem
to me that by now, some oil has to have been
extracted, since there is so much “work” going on.